


Beautiful Beast

by MachineryField



Category: Xenoblade Chronicles
Genre: Alternate Universe, M/M, Past Character Death, Vaguely Beauty and the Beast inspired
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-13
Updated: 2020-06-13
Packaged: 2021-03-04 01:33:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,560
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24705376
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MachineryField/pseuds/MachineryField
Summary: Fiora paused, but nodded and pulled it out. It looked as if it had bloomed from a gemstone as she handed it to him, worry clear on her face. He rolled it around his fingers, feeling even calmer about what he was about to do as he looked at the man.“Let Fiora go, and I’ll stay. Just long enough to study this flower.” His voice was even as Fiora gasped and told him to stop. “I’ll be the prisoner, just let her go.”
Relationships: Egil/Shulk (Xenoblade Chronicles)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 12





	Beautiful Beast

**Author's Note:**

> Another fic bc i have no self control yeahhhh

Fiora was finally on her way back to Colony 9 when she found herself lost. No matter how well she thought she knew this area, it seemed there was always something to get her turned around and confused…

She looked around, trying to see any of her travelling partners. No Dunban, no Dorothy… none of the people from Colony 6, like that Sharla and that Gadolt, either. She was totally alone and now? Now she was in front of some big, metal castle.

She’d never seen this even from the corner of her eye before, so she must’ve been  _ really  _ lost. But it was thundering awfully horribly and she needed to get out of the rain before she was soaked to the bone, so…

Starting towards the castle, she braced herself as she stepped up to the door. Before she could even knock, it creaked open on its own. A bit creepy, but Fiora still wasn’t about to be picky, so she stepped in.

It looked almost otherworldly compared to what she was used to. So much less… rustic!

She followed a light glow and found herself in front of a fire, drying her wet body and dreary bones in front of it. It was like this house knew just what she needed… and man, Fiora wasn’t about to complain about that!

Sinking into the only comfortable looking chair, she curled up and let a small smile come to her face, drifting into sleep. When the storm passed, she would yell out a thank you and head for Colony 9 once again…

\--

Fiora had set out quickly the next morning, but found herself distracted by a flower garden. It seemed well tended to, and she couldn’t help but be shocked. These flowers… they looked more mechanical than anything she had ever seen.

She couldn’t help but approach one of them. It looks as if it had bloomed out of a precious stone, maybe an amethyst. The petals were shiny and felt as tough as stone as she touched them. They calmed her, made her stop thinking for a moment.

Well, stopped thinking about anything except for the fact Shulk would  _ love  _ one of these. Without thinking, she plucked one and tucked it into her pack, ready to be on her way.

But that, it seemed, was the start of problems. Before she knew it, a large figure was standing over her, its eyes glowing red.

“The flower.” The being spoke, holding out a hand, and made Fiora jump. “Return it.”

“I-I’m sorry for picking it without asking, but I’m not just giving it to you!” She put her hands on her hips, quickly building up courage. “My friend would really like it, and it’s just one flower!”

She turned to run off at that point, but the figure grabbed her by the arm, with a grip that told her they wouldn’t let go anytime soon. “Your flower or your life, girl. Choose wisely.”

Fiora swallowed hard, coming to a stop and reaching for her pack as if to grab the flower. “Okay, okay…” And then, she pulled her dual knives, twirling to face the monster in front of her. “I’ll fight for my right to take it, then!”

“I see you are a stubborn Homs.” They sighed and seemed to prepare for battle. “Very well, then. Do not expect me to show pity when you inevitably lose.”

Fiora lunged at him, and the last thing she heard before hitting her head and falling unconscious was a woman calling out for her brother to stop.

\--

Shulk was starting to get anxious. Fiora had gotten lost on her way home and now people from both colonies were out looking. Shulk, despite being quite fragile, was one of the many searching.

The idea of her being lost, hurt… it made his throat close up. The idea of her being dead, well… he couldn’t even stomach the thought. She  _ had  _ to be alive out there, somewhere. They just had to find her.

And that was when he wandered upon a place that would, quite honestly, be a wonderland to him. A castle made entirely of mechanical bits, almost seeming to move on its own. It made him want to go find the owner and ask to poke around.

But no! Now he needed to focus on finding Fiora! If something happened to him, he wouldn’t be able to forgive himself! And so, he marched towards the castle, but in search of Fiora. Maybe the owner had seen her…!

He knocked, doing his best to steel himself for whatever he saw. He was so bad at talking with people, but he was sure he could make this work, given enough time to think it out…

The door creaked open and a red eye peeked out. For a moment, that caught Shulk off guard, but he recovered fairly quickly. “Ah, hello…!”

“Hello.” It was the voice of a woman. “Do you… need something?”

“I’m looking for my friend, Fiora!” He spoke up, words starting to spill out without any thought. “She’s got golden hair and green eyes and she’s muscular! You can tell she’s able to take care of herself and--”

The eye he could see widened a bit. “You are friends with that Homs?”

He perked up a bit. “Is she here?”

“Ah… yes, but…” The door creaked open more and Shulk wasn’t sure what he was looking at.

A mechanical woman, beautiful and dangerous all at the same time. Her skin shades of grey (if it was even skin and not simply plating against her face), her hair looking as if it was made of metal, her eyes and parts of her body glowing gently. Nothing like even the High Entia, the most fantastical of races Shulk had ever seen.

“You… you’re not like anything I’ve seen before.”

She sighed, wringing her hands and looking about. “Please, follow me. I’ll take you to your friend and get you out of here.”

“Oh no…” He furrowed his brow. “Is she alright?”

“Please, just follow me.” And with that, she walked into the castle and Shulk followed quietly.

It was hard to walk through here quietly, but somehow the woman did it, even with her heels. Shulk, meanwhile, felt he could hear every little noise he made as he tried to creep through the halls with her.

They walked down steps, into some sort of… dungeon? He guessed, though it seemed more comfortable than what you would see in a Homs jail… A gilded cage, if anything. It made Shulk uncomfortable to see.

But there was Fiora, pulling on bars with a grunt, trying to get free. He nearly yelled out of relief to see her, but the quiet of the woman kept him from doing that. Instead, he ran up to the bars, hands on them.

“Fiora…!”

“Shulk!” Her face brightened as the woman seemed to open the cage and allow Fiora out. “You found me…!”

“We’ve all been looking for you, Fiora!” He hugged her as she walked out. “Let’s get you home…”

“We need to be careful, Shulk! Vanea isn’t the only one who lives here.” Fiora gestured to the woman who was apparently Vanea. “There’s a man, monstrous, really. He trapped me here.”

“He really isn’t a monster, just… a bit hard to get through to.” Vanea spoke up, quiet. “Ever since this curse was placed on us--”

“He’s a real jerk, getting a curse placed on the two of you.” Fiora huffed, grabbing Shulk by the hand. “But that doesn’t matter, we have to get out before he--”

“Finds you trying to leave with the flower.” A deep voice made Shulk jump and turn. Standing there, another fantastical figure.

He was taller than even the woman, his skin the same shades of grey. His finger nails were long, sharp, and black. As dangerous as any weapon, Shulk supposed… And his eyes glowed, even eerier than Vanea’s. And yet, Shulk couldn’t stop staring.

“It’s just a flower.” Fiora stepped between Shulk and the man. “It won’t hurt you to let me give it to Shulk!”

“Return the flower, now.” He held out a hand, frown on his face. “You will be free to go if you do that.”

Give the flower, leave, act like they had never been here. The smart thing to do would be encourage Fiora to do just that… But now… Shulk was curious.

“She wants to give me the flower, right?” Shulk looked at his friend. “Fiora, hand it to me.”

“Shulk…”

“Fiora, just trust me.”

Fiora paused, but nodded and pulled it out. It looked as if it had bloomed from a gemstone as she handed it to him, worry clear on her face. He rolled it around his fingers, feeling even calmer about what he was about to do as he looked at the man.

“Let Fiora go, and I’ll stay. Just long enough to study this flower.” His voice was even as Fiora gasped and told him to stop. “I’ll be the prisoner, just let her go.”

The man stared at him and sighed. “...Just leave the flower and both of you escape--”

“Egil.” Vanea spoke up. “This could be… a chance for you to break the curse.”

“Vanea…” This Egil shook his head, but seemed to relent. “Fine, you may stay. As a prisoner. Study the flower, return it to me, and you shall have your release.”

“You can’t be serious…” Fiora’s voice shook as she grabbed Shulk by the shoulder. “Shulk, you can’t do this!”

“I’ll be fine, Fiora.” He gave her a small smile. “Just wait for me on the outside.”

“Shulk…!” She was gently pulled away by Vanea, led to the stairs even as she fought and screamed the entire way. It broke his heart to see her like that, but… his curiosity had won out.

He just hoped she would forgive him.

“Well… are you going to place me in the cell, then?” Shulk looked to Egil, swallowing hard.

“A willing prisoner doesn’t need a cage.” Egil turned on his heel and gestured for Shulk to follow. “So long as you don’t try to escape in the dead of night, that is.”

“I’m a man of my word.” Shulk steeled himself as he followed Egil down the hall. “I’ll stay on the grounds of the castle.”

“In that case, you will have free reign for your studying.” Egil hummed, stopping in front of a door. “A room for you to stay in, a dining hall where we will… attempt to meet your dietary needs, as well as the library will likely be of the most interest to you.”

“A... library?” He perked up a bit at that. “Could you show me that?”

“It is late, rest first.” He opened the door and ushered Shulk in. “Do not become too comfortable, however. Your time here is meant to be short.”

“I know.” Shulk nodded, making his way to what seemed to be a makeshift bed. “...Goodnight, Egil.”

“Goodnight.”

\--

“Brother…” Vanea walked into Egil’s quarters, a frown on her face. “Do you plan on keeping your distance from the boy?”

“Of course I do.” Egil wouldn’t look at her. “If I dare get close, that man will just rear his head again, and show me how hopeless it is.”

“Egil, you cannot be sure.” Vanea’s voice was soft and quiet as she moved to sit next to him. “Perhaps he’ll be the one to break the curse.”

“No one can break the curse of Zanza, Vanea, you and I both know this.” His voice was strained. “The moment someone has the chance of falling in love with me, he’ll ensure it doesn’t happen. It’s best to accept our fate.”

“Egil…” Vanea placed her hand on her brother’s shoulder. “Please, at least try. Just once more. I know what happened with Arglas, but…”

“Arglas…” He closed his eyes, pushing back the memories of how the curse had come to be. “Vanea. You know I don’t like talking about him.”

“I’m sorry, Egil.” She sighed. “But try once more, for me?”

“I will… consider it.” He stood, moving to look out the window overlooking the grounds. “For now, please… leave me to think on it.”

“Of course, Egil. Please remember, you don’t have to be alone anymore.”

“I don’t have to be alone, hm?” He spoke once Vanea left, resting his forehead against the glass. “How I wish I had your optimism, sister.”

\--

Dunban was more than a bit worried at Fiora’s story, as were Reyn and Sharla, it seemed. A mechanical castle that Shulk volunteered to stay behind in, as a prisoner, for Fiora’s safe return home…

He held her as she sobbed, guilt over what happened apparently eating at her. He looked at Sharla and Reyn, steeling himself for what he was about to say. “We need to do research, find out about this castle, and save Shulk.”

“I was expecting you to say something like that.” Reyn slammed his fist into his palm. “Sure we can’t just go save him now?”

“No, it’s too risky.” Dunban shook his head. “We’ll ask the High Entia and the Nopon, see if they know anything. They’re more knowledgeable than we are… Of course.” He looked at Sharla. “You don’t have to help, of course. This is… a personal problem.”

“No way, no how.” She shook her head, hand on her hip. “I’ll be helping out, this sounds dangerous… Besides, I doubt this one will be much help in gathering information.” She gestured towards Reyn.

“Hey…! I can help, maybe not much, but still can!”

“And I can help more, so I’ll be sticking around.” Sharla smiled. “Don’t want Reyn upsetting the High Entia with how brash he is, right?”

Fiora giggled a bit, wiping her tears. “Yeah, he would just make it harder in the starting stages…”

He groaned, crossing his arms. “Fiora…! I thought you would be on my side!”

“You should know I wouldn’t be!” She stuck out her tongue, giggling. “Shulk might be on your side, but he isn’t here right now.”

“Maaaan…” Reyn sighed. “We need to save Shulk, as soon as possible.”

\--

_ Shulk was pretty sure he was dreaming. He didn’t know where he was, or why it was happening, but… It looked nice, a lot like what he imagined space would look like, could he actually go there. _

_ He looked around, confused, until he noticed a sword that seemed to be stuck in space itself. How odd… The urge for him to rip it out of it was strong, too… _

_ Making his way over, Shulk grasped the handle, and pulled it out. It moved easily, felt right in his hands... At least, it did until he felt a jolt through his body, making him let out a scream. He couldn’t let go of it, even as he tried to. It hurt, it hurt, it hurt…! _

He woke up to Egil shaking him, a frown on his face. “You were screaming… What’s going on?”

“I… I just had a bad dream…” He was sweating as he sat up. “It was about a red sword, it shocked me when I touched it and…”

He looked up, met with the horrified look on Egil’s face. Before he could ask what was going on, all Egil forced out was a name.

“Zanza.”


End file.
